Only the brave?
I regularly come across the word ‘brave’ in relation to career changers, including in the language of those supporting them and in articles showcasing positive case studies.
I’m genuinely not sure what it is supposed to connote.
Are all career changers ‘brave’? Or only some? And how is that determined?
Is it the age at which you do it (older = braver)? For example, I love the varied vignettes in this piece from Australia, except that these career changers are referred to as ‘brave souls’.
Or is it the nature of the new work? The gap between what you did and what you now do? The relative status or income of the two occupations? The investment in training or set-up? The risk to assets, including finances and relationships?
Is it about having had a choice and taken the plunge? Many, many people have career change thrust upon them, at all ages, but I see fewer stories sharing their achievements or calling them ‘brave’.
I also find the descriptor unhelpful. I’m concerned that if we use language that sets apart those who’ve made changes, their stories can quickly move from inspiringly relational (‘maybe you too could do this’) to intimidatingly exceptional (‘only the brave’).
If you ascribe characteristics to another person at the same time as denying them in yourself – ‘Oh, he’s brave. I couldn’t do that’ – then it’s too easy to create a barrier, or an excuse, and rule out any possibility of change.
My mission is to help my clients break down some of these barriers to thinking freely about what they could do if they wanted to or had to. And equally, why they might not. A good outcome can be a positive decision to stay put.
So, I’m not advocating for career change. It’s not always necessary. It’s not compulsory. It’s not a badge of honour.
Neither am I saying that changing career – however defined – is a piece of cake. Far from it.
What I do advocate for is career redesign as a rational, tactical way of moving forward when there are factors which prompt thoughts about a change. Those factors might include:
A desire for better work-life balance.
A search for more personally meaningful and gratifying employment.
The need to get away from a toxic or unrewarding work environment.
An instinctive response to personal trauma.
The need to earn more money, or the new possibility of living on less.
A desire to experience more variety and stimulus in your working lifetime.
And many more.
Using the word ‘brave’ in this context risks overshadowing the circumstances, qualities and approaches that can lead someone to make a successful career change.
So, only the brave?
No, also the bored, the tired, the unhappy, the curious, the adventurous, the rational, the strategic, the well-prepared …
Postscript:
Two of the four online comments on the Australian article mentioned above (when I accessed it) argued at some length that their experience of career change suggests it’s much harder than set out in the case studies. Of these, one (who succeeded) was more positive than the other (who did not). The third sang the praises of retirement (without any nod to its feasibility for others). The last wrote: “All the stories with an ageist slant I find just boring ...can't people just move on from all the boring stereotyping...”